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Madonna
'Madonna Louise Ciccone '(born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, author, entrepreneur, dancer, and director. She found fame through her envelope pushing music, live performance, and fashion. In the 80's she became a near permanent fixture on MTV, finding incredible success in the then young music video market. Madonna has received acclaim from critics and audiences alike for her music and world tours. She has been a controversial figure in the industry due to her outspoken nature, expression of sexuality, and her display of taboo material. Madonna has been called the "Queen of Pop" due to her immeasurable influence and impact on the industry. Madonna is the best selling female recording artist of all time with excess of over 300 million record sales. She is also recognized as the highest-grossing solo touring artist of all time with three of her concert tours occupying spots in the top 15 highest-grossing concert tours in music history. She was ranked at number one on VH1's list of 100 Greatest Women in Music and was ranked second (behind only The Beatles) in Billboard's Hot 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. Life and Career 1958-1981: Early Life and Career Beginnings Madonna was born in Bay City, Michigan on August 16, 1958 to Catholic parents Silvio Anthony "Tony" Ciccone and Madonna Louise Fortin. Her grandparents on her father's side were immigrants from Pacentro, Italy while her mother was was of French-Canadian ancestry. Madonna was one of six children, having two older brothers (Anthony and Martin), one younger brother (Christopher), and two younger sisters (Paula and Melanie). Madonna's mother died of breast cancer on December 1, 1963, which had a profound impact on young Madonna's life. Madonna recalled that her mother couldn't explain to her youngest children what exactly was going on with her, and she also recalled that she didn't understand why her mother was no longer around. Madonna's father got her confirmed as a member of the Catholic church in 1966, where she adopted the name Veronica as her confirmation name. Madonna relied on her grandmother (on her father's side) for motherly guidance after her mother's death. In 1966, Tony married the family housekeeper Joan Gustafson, and they had to children, Jennifer and Mario. Madonna became very angry with her father, stating she felt betrayed that her father could remarry. She began to act out, feeling that she needed to maintain her father's attention, fearing that she felt Joan was trying to "break the family apart". Madonna attended Rochester Adams High School, where she was a straight A student and a member of the cheer squad. Later, she received a scholarship to the University of Michigan School of Music, Theater, and Dance. She later dropped out of the school and she moved to New York City to pursue a dance career, working at Dunkin' Doughnuts and other odd jobs to support herself. During this time, she found interest in singing, and became romantically involved with a man named Danny Gilroy. Together, they lived in an abandoned synagogue. They then formed a rock band called The Breakfast Club, to which Madonna played drums. The group dissolved quickly after the relationship ended. Madonna then formed a band with her former boyfriend Stephen Bray, calling the band Emmy (later Emmy & the Emmy's). Madonna then began to market herself as a solo artist and drew the attention of record producer Mark Kamins. 1982-1985: Career Breakthrough, Madonna, Like a Virgin, Early Film Career, and Marriage Madonna signed a singles deal with Sire Records and released her first single, "Everybody", which found a moderate amount of success. Her second single, "Burning Up", became successful club hits, along with her debut. After this success, Sire commissioned a full album. Madonna was released on July 27, 1983, and spawned three more immensely successful singles ("Holiday", "Borderline", and "Lucky Star"). The album was a major success, peaking at number eight. In November of 1984, Madonna released her second studio album Like a Virgin which spawned the singles "Like a Virgin", "Material Girl", "Angel", and "Dress You Up". The album was even more of a smash than her debut, making Madonna an overnight phenomenon. Her fashion (crucifix jewelry, stockings, fishnets, and crop tops) became a trend among females all over the world, coining the term "Madonna Wannabe". It was also around this time she made a cameo appearance in the romantic drama film Vision Quest, to which she contributed two songs ("Crazy for You" and "Gambler") to the soundtrack, with the former going to number one. She also appeared in the film Desperately Seeking Susan, which, although Madonna wasn't the lead actress, was marketed as a Madonna vehicle. The soundtrack to the film included the smash hit "Into the Groove" which only further contributed to her unprecedented success. Madonna embarked on her first concert tour, known as The Virgin Tour. Madonna played sold out arenas, sometimes for multiple nights due to high demand. The tour earned mixed reviews from the press, but was an incredible success at the box office. Also around this time, Madonna met and fell in love with actor Sean Penn. The two were married in a private service in 1985. Soon after, Playboy printed and released nude photos of Madonna in their magazine that were taken when she first moved to New York to earn some cash. Many predicted it would hurt Madonna's brand, however she seemed unworried about the photos. Madonna next performed at the Live Aid event in Philadelphia. Madonna released a live video of the tour called Madonna Live: The Virgin Tour. 1986-1991: True Blue, Who's That Girl, Tour, Like a Prayer, and Blond Ambition Tour In June 1986, Madonna released her third studio album, True Blue. The album was a critical and commercial success. Madonna appeared alongside her husband in the critically panned film Shanghai Surprise, for which Madonna won her first Golden Raspberry Award. The next year, she starred in the film Who's That Girl, to which she contributed four songs to the soundtrack. Madonna then embarked on the massively successful Who's Thar Girl World Tour in arenas and for the first time in her career, stadiums. It was on this tour she performed for the largest crowd of her career when she performed in front of 130,000 people in Paris. The tour was documented on home video in Japan known as Madonna: Who's That Girl World Tour which was filmed at her show in Tokyo, Japan. The rest of the world got the film in the release Ciao, Italia! Madonna Live in Italy, which was filmed over two shows in Italy. In 1989, Madonna signed a deal with Pepsi. She released her controversial music video for song "Like a Prayer" which cost her the deal with Pepsi due to the controversy surrounding the music video for the song showing burning crosses and a black saint. Madonna released her fourth studio album Like a Prayer, which spawned the singles "Like a Prayer", "Express Yourself", "Cherish", "Oh Father", "Dear Jessie", and "Keep it Together". The album earned critical acclaim and became on of her most commercially successful albums. Madonna also divorced Sean Penn at this time. In 1990, Madonna starred as Breathless Mahoney in the film Dick Tracey. She contributed a soundtrack album of completely original material called I'm Breathless. The soundtrack spawned the massively successful single "Vogue" which became one of her most commercially successful singles. The album earned positive reviews, however the film, along with her acting in it, earned a mixed response. Later that year, she embarked on the mega successful Blond Ambition World Tour. The film drew controversy for it's sexual performances such as the miming of masturbation during the "Like a Virgin" performance. The tour was documented in the Japanese only home video release Blond Ambition Japan Tour '90. The rest of the world received an HBO broadcast of the final show in Nice as well as a home video release of the HBO special with slightly different angles called Madonna: Blond Ambition World Tour Live! The HBO special and home video release was amazingly successful. = 1992-1997: Maverick, Erotica, SEX, Bedtime Stories, Evita, and Motherhood In 1992, Madonna starred in the film A League of Their Own, alongside long time friend Rosie O'Donnell. Madonna contributed the song "This Used to Be My Playground" to the films soundtrack. Shortly after, she formed her own entertainment company called Maverick. The creation came with a record setting royalty deal with Warner, matched only by Michael Jackson's royalty deal with Sony. Madonna released her fifth studio album Erotica. The album spawned the singles "Erotica", "Fever", "Deeper and Deeper", "Bad Girl", and "Rain". It was also around this time Madonna released the coffee table book S.E.X, ''which included explicit nudity and sex. The book, while another major success for Madonna, became extremely controversial, leading to alienation in the US, with people saying Madonna had gone too far with her image. The album started to perform less beautifully as it did in other regions. To support the album, she embarked on The Girlie Show World Tour, which mainly visited Europe and Asia. She played few dates in North America as she was still under heavy media scrutiny. The North American shows received negative reviews, however it was later sated that few critics attended the show without already having an opinion beforehand. The tour received much more enthusiastic reviews elsewhere. The tour was a commercial success, with Madonna selling out several sports stadiums and arenas around the world. She ventured to Australia for the first time, where she set outdoor attendance records in the country for sold out shows in various cricket stadiums. The tour was released to home video in a Japan only release called ''Madonna Live in Japan. In the US, the show was shown on HBO. It was then released to home video around the world under the name Madonna Live Down Under: The Girlie Show. Along with the tour, she starred in the panned erotic thriller Body of Evidence alongside Willam Defoe. Next, Madonna set out to tone down her proactive image with softer songs on the radio. In 1994, Madonna released her sixth studio album Bedtime Stories which spawned the singles "Secret", "Take a Bow", "Bedtime Stories", and "Human Nature". The album had strong R&B influence, and featured Madonna toning down her sexual image. Madonna then began lobbying for the title role in the film Evita to which she ended up being cast in the role. In the film, she portrayed Argentine politician Eva Peron. She contributed many songs to the films soundtrack including "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", "You Must Love Me", and "Another Suitcase in Another Hall". Madonna earned a Golden Globe for her performance in the film. During production, Madonna discovered that she was pregnant with her first child. The father was her personal trainer Carlos Leon. On October 14, 1996, Madonna gave birth to her daughter Lourdes. Madonna settled into the role as a mother comfortably and took a break from the industry for a few years to raise her child. It was in this time that Madonna converted to Kabbalah. 1998-2002: Ray of Light, Music, Second Marriage, and Second Child Madonna returned to the spotlight with her critically acclaimed and commercially successful seventh studio album Ray of Light. Produced by William Orbit, the album spawned five singles "Frozen", "Ray of Light", "Drowned World/Substitute for Love", "Nothing Really Matters", and "The Power of Goodbye". The album earned Madonna some of her most impressive chart success in years. In 1999, Madonna contributed the song "Beautiful Stranger" to the soundtrack for the film Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me. In 2000, Madonna starred in The Next Best Thing, contributing two songs. It was also around this time she met her second husband, film maker Guy Ritchie. Madonna released her eighth studio album Music which spawned the singles "Music", "Don't Tell Me" and "What It Feels Like for A Girl". The album received critical and commercial acclaim. Madonna next married Guy Ritchie in a private ceremony. On August 11, 2001, she gave birth to her second child and first son, Rocco John Ritchie. In June of 2001, Madonna embarked on the Drowned World Tour in support of her seventh and eighth albums. The tour was a critical and commercial success. Her first tour eight years, it sold out almost immediately. The tour was shown on HBO and released to home video under the name Drowned World Tour 2001. She starred in Swept Away, directed by her husband. The film and her acting received critical panning. In 2002, Madonna contributed the title song and made a cameo appearance for the 20th James Bond film Die Another Day. 2003-2006: American Life ''and ''Confessions on a Dance Floor Madonna released her ninth studio album, American Life on April 21, 2003. The album received mixed reviews and spawned the singles "American Life", "Hollywood", "Nothing Fails", and "Love Profusion". The politically charged album wasn't met with very enthusiastic responses from fans and critics. To support the album, she embarked on the Re-Invention World Tour. The tour received critical acclaim and was documented in the documentary film I'm Going to Tell You A Secret. The film was accompanied by her first live album of the same name. In summer 2005, Madonna performed three songs at the London showing of Live 8 benefit concerts. Later in the year, she released her tenth studio album Confessions on a Dance Floor. The album received critical acclaim and spawned the singles "Hung Up", "Sorry", "Get Together", and "Jump". Madonna supported the album with her critical and commercially acclaimed Confessions Tour. The tour went on to become the highest grossing concert tour by a solo artist at the time. The tour was documented in the NBC special Madonna Live in London: The Confessions Tour, which was released on DVD and CD. At the end of the year, Madonna adopted David Bana from Malawi. 2007-2010: I Am Because We Are, Hard Candy, and Books In 2007, Madonna wrote and provided narration for the documentary I Am Because We Are about the Raising Malawi project. The following year, she released her eleventh studio album Hard Candy to mixed reviews. The album spawned the singles "4 Minutes", "Give It 2 Me", and "Miles Away". The album was supported by The Sticky & Sweet Tour. The tour went on to become the highest grossing tour by a solo artist in history. It was documented in the home video release Sticky and Sweet Tour. Madonna also announced her divorce from Guy Ritchie during this period. In 2009, for the first time in her career, Madonna extended her tour to cover more areas in Europe that she either had never visited before or had not visited in a long time. On June 12, 2009, the Supreme Court in Malawi approved Madonna to adopt Mercy James from Malawi. At the conclusion of her tour, Madonna opted to take time off to spend with her children. During this industry break, Madonna wrote her first children's book, which became a New York Times Bestseller. It was shortly after this that Madonna's brother Christopher (who used to be Madonna's creative manager) published a tell all book Life With My Sister Madonna. The book caused some friction between Madonna and her brother as certain parts of the book painted her in a less than flattering light. 2011-2013: W.E, ''Super Bowl XLVI, and ''MDNA In September 2011, Madonna premiered her debut feature film, W.E., ''at the 68th International Venice Film Festival. The film was a biopic about the "forbidden" romance of King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson. The critical and commercial response to the film was overall negative. However, Madonna won a Golden Globe for the song she contributed to the film, "Masterpiece", famously beating Elton John who claimed Madonna had no chance of winning the award. It was announced in October of 2011 that Madonna would be the Half Time performer for the then upcoming Super Bowl XLVI. The performance took place on February 5, 2012 at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The performance brought more viewers than the game itself. Several guests joined Madonna on stage during the performance such as LMFAO, Nicki Minaj, MIA, and Cee Lo Green. It was here Madonna performed her new single "Give Me All Your Luvin'" for the first time. Madonna earned critical acclaim from the performance. On March 23, 2012, Madonna released her twelfth studio album ''MDNA. The album spawned the singles "Give Me All Your Luvin'", "Girl Gone Wild", "Masterpiece", and "Turn Up the Radio". The album was well received positive response from critics and was a commercial success. To support the album, Madonna embarked on the majorly successful MDNA Tour. The tour visited arenas and stadiums. Madonna set attendance records in both. The tour sold out in almost all markets, prompting Madonna to add shows in several locations. During the tour, Madonna performed a club show at the L'Olympia theater. The performance was mixed in reception due to the short length of the show. Madonna signed a deal with EPiX to show the tours film. The special was released to CD and home video on the title MDNA World Tour. 2014-2016: Rebel Heart In December of 2014, three demos leaked onto the internet, followed the following month by more. Madonna, angered at the leaks, requested an investigation into the links. The leaks were traced to a man who leaked Madonna's and many other artists material and he was jailed. After the leaks, Madonna released her thirteenth studio album Rebel Heart ''on March 5, 2015. The album spawned the singles "Living for Love", "Ghosttown", and "Bitch I'm Madonna". The album was supported by several high profile performances, most notably a performance at the Brit Awards. The performance got extensive media attention after Madonna was dragged off the stage by her cape. In support of the album, she embarked on the Rebel Heart Tour. The tour earned positive reviews, however, she faced backlash for many shows starting late as well as her behavior. During the tour, Madonna returned to Australia for the first time since 1993. She performed an intimate club gig called ''Tears of a Clown which featured her performing several songs of her back catalog, many played live for the first time. Madonna filmed the tour and the film was shown on Showtime as Madonna: Rebel Heart Tour. ''In December of 2016, Madonna performed a new version of her Tears of a Clown show at the Art Basel fundraiser 2017-present: ''MAPS In early January, Madonna announced the release of her first major EP, MAPS. The EP was released on January 9th. The EP spawned two singles thus far, "Chasing Rainbows" and "Blinded". The EP was supported by a special club show on January 11th. Madonna described the EP as her most personal work to date. The songs covered topics such as self discovery, drug usage, substance abuse, self harm, and suicide. Madonna launched a large radio campaign to support the album. At this point, no major concert support has been announced. Discography ''Madonna ''(1983) ''Like a Virgin ''(1984) ''True Blue ''(1986) ''Like a Prayer ''(1989) ''Erotica ''(1992) ''Bedtime Stories ''(1994) ''Ray of Light ''(1998) ''Music ''(2000) ''American Life ''(2003) ''Confessions on a Dance Floor ''(2005) ''Hard Candy ''(2008) ''MDNA ''(2012) ''Rebel Heart ''(2015) ''MAPS ''(EP) (2017) Category:Artist